08/27/2022
In loving memory of Charles Goodsill 8/19/67 - 8/18/22. I mean what does one even say. Death can be so cruel, so tragic, so devastating and so final. Sometimes you get to say goodbye and other times not. Whether you least expect it or are fully prepared, the pain is all the same. And although my heart is crushed I rejoice with Charles, I rejoice in his salvation, I rejoice because he is in a better place, I rejoice that he is in the arms of his creator.
Charles was my first resident at the Bridge house and had such a special place in my heart. It wasn't long that Charles went from being a resident, to a friend and from a friend to a part of my family. We had a lot of ups and downs, shoot we went through 2020 together. We cried, we laughed and we walked it out together.
But what made the biggest difference in Charles life was LOVE. We loved Charles back to health. As Charles opened up his heart to receive love again it allowed him to begin to love the world around him again. Charles asked me once "how I could best describe God?" It was a simple answer in that "God is LOVE." The simplicity of answer really affected him and opened Charles up to a spiritual solution to his life, the missing piece.
Charles loved deeply, he was the best listener and conversationalist that I have ever known. He didn't pretend listen to you, but he listened with grace and love, never feeling put out by the moment. My son Benjamin had a many a long talks with Charles and truly had a special relationship with him. Charles saw himself in my son and would often write Ben an encouraging hand writen note to encourage and warn him about some of the pitfalls of life. My kids opened him up and really helped him early on to feel a part of a family again. Charles absolutely adored my kids and he loved them so deeply.
Charles was kind, compassionate, highly intelligent and would use words that I didn't quit understand, but he knew that 🤣. He had the heart of a servant and loved giving of himself. He mowed neighbors yards and not just ones immediately next to the house but he would go down 6 houses to mow. He won over our neighbors and was an asset in the community. One of his favorite activities was mowing the grass at the church. He would be out there for hours as if it was his little slice of heaven.
I could go on forever with story after story about Charles Goodsill. Charles was loved much by my family, by his church family and the recovery community. But most of all Charles I loved you deeply. I am so proud of the man I watched you become. I am thankful for having had the opportunity to know you. I am a better person because of it. I am grateful for the lessons learned and the love shared. I will use the pain as a platform to continue to help men recover. I will honor your memory and be forever affected by our time together. Until then my friend, until then.....
